As a Sacramento short sale agent, I often receive lowball offers from pretend buyers or guys who want to flip, but these offers can be used to a seller's advantage. Instead of advising sellers to toss them into the circular bin, I say counter them. Yup, issue a counter offer. With a lengthy acceptance period. That way, while your counter offer is in the buyer's hands, more often than not, another offer will arrive. When this offer comes in, it gives the seller the opportunity to issue a multiple counter offer to the second buyer.
Because you know what? Nothing makes a buyer want to buy your short sale more than knowing somebody else wants it. OK, maybe the first buyer doesn't really want it, but the second buyer doesn't know that. It's human nature for people to covet what other people want. Everybody wants what Meg Ryan is having.
Here is a home worth drooling over. It's located in Bridgeway Lakes in lovely West Sacramento, way down Jefferson and close to wine country. This is a Shea home, built in 2005 -- the Peaceful Haven model. It boasts 2,250 square feet, per the seller, and it's one of those desirable one-stories.
Apart from its 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, it features a bonus room near the entrance. The bonus room could be used as a den, a living room, work-out room or hobby room. Or you could put a door on it, close it . . . and call it your teenage son's bedroom.
When buyers buy a brand new home from a builder, generally buyers have a choice in upgrades. Especially nowadays when builders prefer to build only when they have a buyer in contract. The owners of this home chose well. The entry, hall, family room and kitchen flooring is a high buffed maple hardwood. The kitchen, hall, laundry and bath cabinets are also maple. It makes the entire home light and airy. Gives it energy.
The master suite is spacious with a sitting area and located away from the other bedrooms, but close enough that one could hear a baby cry down the hall. The laundry is extended with additional cabinet space, plus it has a sink and the commercial-grade washer and dryer are included.
In the kitchen, you'll find stainless appliances and yes, the refrigerator stays with the home. In addition to a separate formal dining room, there is dining space in the kitchen and a breakfast bar / kitchen island.
The back yard is landscaped. It features green and red plum trees, plus a lemon tree and weeping cherry. There is a stained concrete patio and a fireplace. It's fenced, of course and bigger than most back yards of a one-story home. You'll also find ample storage space on both sides of the home.
3680 Topaz Road, West Sacramento, CA 95691 is offered exclusively by Lyon Real Estate as a short sale at $249,000. Why buy new when this price is so affordable? For more information, call your Sacramento short sale agent, Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916 233 6759.
Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
Agreed. Sometimes buyers don't add up the upgrades in a home to find out what it will really cost them to add all those things. And in hot Sac Valley? Nice to have some landscaping already in. Very well written.
Elizabeth- I am stopping by to say hello, it has been a while since I have said hi:) Hope all is great with you! Katerina
Love the curb appeal and the outdoor space in the backyard. And I'm with you on the counter offers. I don't know why more Short Sale Agents don't counter.
Elizabeth,
I hate when buyers not educated by their agent send low ball offers, sometimes we have stubborn buyers who doesn't listen and still they send these kind of offers. Because it's a short sale it does not mean that they can abuse to send a super low ball offer, we are here to help these ones, guide and send them to the right track, take care BTW what a great short sale :)
Elizabeth - It looks like a great home and I too love the yard. However, sometimes sending a counter with a multiple offer notice will automatically turn off many buyers and not pretend buyers either but serious buyers who refuse to play the bidding war games. I speak from experience when I say that.
I have so many buyers who have had enough of the bidding war games that go on down here in Los Angeles & Ventura counties. They are tired of playing the games only to lose out to those low-ball, all-cash offers making the whole bidding war frenzy an absolute joke.
Yep, these days when my clients make an offer and they get that counter indicating multiple offers, they are highly likely to walk away. With our current market, they can afford to say - NEXT!
I can't believe the price for such a nice looking home, Elizabeth. When sending out counters, one really has to know the market, and something about the buyer and buyer's agents helps, too.
You know, my buyers have not responded to a multiple counter offer as a bidding war game. We offer them the counter, and if they sign it, they go into escrow. It's pretty simple and straight forward. I let them know that if they quickly sign the counter and get it back, they're in like Flint. I guess it's all in the presentation. There are agents who play games and there are those who close escrow. I'm in the latter camp.